Ice Breaker

Chapter 3: Ice Breaker Make a Good Mega Man Level: Episode Zero

"My, what sharp teeth you have," isn't a very good ice breaker, even if they are good at breaking ice.

Overview Creator(s): An Absolute Loser Composer(s): Kackebango, Sunsoft Statistics Rank: Chapter 3 Enemies: Returning Sniper Joe Space Metall Spring Head Gimmicks: Auto Scroller Chill Man Block Drop Platform Glass Platform Key Barrier Reflect Block Sign (Mega Man 8) (Jump) Wanaan Wanaan Snake Yoku Spike Bosses: Giga Count 2.0

Theme Music Oil Man (original track) Boss: Shanghai II - Panic Stage Order

Ice Breaker is a level in Chapter 3 of Make a Good Mega Man Level: Episode Zero. Taking place inside the void of Tier X, the level is a homage to the Make a Good 24 Hour Mega Man Level stage Breaking Ground. Indeed, the entire stage is formed by Tier X from "garbage data" broadcast by the simulation as Mega Man tests it for the second festival, leading to it sharing many elements, such as a focus on Wanaans and Chill Man Blocks, and the unique grey Spring Heads that are immobile until Zero is on their level. Unlike the original level, however, some Wanaans are mobile platforms akin to Splash Woman Water Platforms, while others have a body and move in square patterns. Additionally, a recreated version of one of the simulation's fortress bosses is present, in the form of Giga Count 2.0.

Strategy

The stage starts with Zero having to stomp his way through a Glass Platform and a Chill Man Block, before landing in a small room with two blue Spring Heads and a Chill Man Block he must shoot to destroy. From here, Wanaans are introduced in a room with a spiked floor, before he is required to cross a wide chasm using them as platforms. After crossing it, he is introduced to the stage's unique grey Spring Heads, who (unlike normal Spring Heads) are immobile until he is on the same vertical level as them. This room has two Chill Man Blocks blocking the path into the Spring Head's area, and a third blocking the path forward, requiring quick movement to avoid damage. Another long bottomless pit follows, again forcing Zero to use Wanaan vents as platforms, but small Chill Man Blocks are also present. A group of three ice blocks has a grey Spring Head to further complicate matters, but if he can get past it, he will reach the first checkpoint.

Going inside, Zero must climb upwards using ladders and ledges, most of which have grey Spring Heads ready to knock into him. After a few screens, a set of modified Wanaans that move out from the walls (identically to Splash Woman Water Platforms) act as the only means of ascending, and Space Metalls start appearing via invisible spawners. Eventually, Zero will enter a room with a Returning Sniper Joe, a blue Spring Head, and moving Wanaan vents. While a secret lies in the one-tile gap the vent travels through, the path forwards (and the second checkpoint) requires him to drop down.

After a small jump over Wanaans, Zero comes across an autoscrolling section over wide pits and spike-lined terrain, with the only "safe" ground being a set of three Wanaan vents that move with the screen. To avoid damage, Zero cannot stay in one place for too long and must keep moving, though he can stand on the very edges of the vents without triggering the Wanaans inside. However, he is frequently forced to move from one vent to another, either to avoid touching a passing spike, or to shoot down an oncoming Space Metall or Chill Man Block. Eventually, Zero arrives at a boss door, leading to a room with a Wanaan-lined floor, two Drop Platforms, and an invincible Space Metall that constantly chases him. He must avoid this Space Metall for 20 seconds, at the end of which the Space Metall self-destructs and drops a key to the Key Barrier on the other side. A countdown in the centre denotes the number of remaining seconds.

By using a set of three moving Wanaan vents to reach a ladder, Zero will then encounter a Wanaan Snake moving in a rectangle pattern. With no way to eliminate it, he can only avoid it. The next screen over has a set of moving Wanaans over spikes, with a Glass Platform forcing Zero to time his stomp through it carefully (with a Returning Sniper Joe trying to shoot him before he can). The screen below forces Zero to airdash across, avoiding Wanaans, spikes, and a grey Spring Head. The next screen down has a set of constantly spawning orange Spring Heads moving slowly towards a spike; unlike other Spring Heads, these won't speed up while Zero is on their level. By using three nearby ladders, Zero can bypass them and stomp through a Glass Platform and multiple ice blocks, avoiding a trio of Returning Sniper Joes.

What follows is an area with a stretched-out Chill Man Block above spikes, which Zero cannot afford to step on more than once or else it will break. To avoid it, he must then jump and airdash from ladder to ladder, avoiding Wanaan Snakes, Spring Heads, and spikes that will kill him if he jumps too high from a ladder. The next two screens make use of quick dashing to avoid getting caught by Wanaan Snakes, as well as by rising wide ice blocks that will send Zero into spikes if he happens to be caught by one while dashing. Down below, Zero will enter an area filled with ladders and Chill Man Blocks, with a wide ice block slowly rising upwards, threatening to crush him against a ceiling if he dawdles for too long. However, the path to safety is blocked by the ice blocks, which must be destroyed with Zero's weapons before he is crushed.

The final stretch before the end puts Zero in a faster autoscroll, with almost every piece of safe ground he has to stand on being a Wanaan vent, occupied by a Spring Head, or even both. Additionally, two Wanaan Snakes circle a single safe piece of land, and Chill Man Blocks are used both as platforms, and obstacles that must be quickly destroyed. The speed of the autoscroll means getting bitten by a Wanaan can cause Zero to be knocked into a pit, or otherwise fall behind and risk getting crushed between a wall and the edge of the screen. If Zero manages to successfully navigate the section, however, he will reach the boss door leading to the fight against Giga Count 2.0.

Z-Phone Dialogue

	Contact	Transcript
	Dr. Wily	Ice Breaker? Huh? You're in a simulation somehow... And it kind of matches the data that Thomas is using. I would get mad at you for helping him, but I don't think that's the right data. It just... seems like it? What did you even do? Did you find some bootlegged version of the data?!
	Agent Krantz	Krantz: Ice Breaker? Judging by the ice blocks, you should be careful with your footing. In some cases though, you might need to intentionally break the ice with a stomp. That area also has... moving Wanaans? Normal Wanaans will spring a trap underneath your feet if you stand on them, but I've never seen moving ones... On the other head, the gray Spring Heads don't move? Zero: So we have things that do not normally move moving, and things that normally move not moving. Krantz: What's the heck's up with this place? The very fabric of nature here feels irregular...
	Yamato Man	Yamato Man: Giga Count 2.0? Where's the first? In any case, just keep your distance and shoot down the Space Metalls that might be inside of the ice blocks it summons. It's not particularly difficult, but I have a feeling it's holding back until you prove you're a real threat! Zero: And I have a feeling you know exactly what it will do, and simply refuse to tell me. Yamato Man: H-Hey! I can't spoil everything, now can I? But trust me, it won't be too complex once it goes all-out either, you'll just have to adjust to a... dynamic battlefield. And also watch out for the big laser's telegraph. Zero: The what?
	Knives	Knives: Whaaaa?? You want me to go into a bunch of simulation garbage data stuff? I thought that we were destined to be soulmates, not buddies in dumpster-diving! Zero: ...Garbage data? Is that what it is? Knives: Yeah, all messed up from that 24-hour-test-thingy that Mega Man's working with. It's all the way out here cuz it's like radio waves! Lost and they get picked up by somethin'! Zero: For once, you are saying something interesting. Knives: I'm glad you're turning around! But find a better spot.

Trivia

• In the room directly above the second checkpoint, a secret room can be accessed by airdashing into a small hole on the right. This room contains nothing except the text, "Hi.", and a giant Space Metall that neither hurts Zero nor receives damage from his weapons.
• The Glass Platform gimmick was a custom asset created specifically for this stage. It was quickly made freely available for anybody else to use in their levels, similar to the chip-sensitive Destroyable Blocks from Toxic Tunnels.